as examples and had the same $ value for each depending upo the weight. Can the $ value be changed per destination?

Each country's row is separate and can be any amounts you like.

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Can I put higher $ values for the areas that are going to be more than US and Canada?

Yes, definitely. Whatever you want those buyers to pay.

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Some of my items are weighty, and the chart goes past 16 pounds. How would I set up safeguards for international pricing, to cover the possibility of multiple boxes if the end result packages go past the 4 lb. 1st class limit?

You'll have to experiment around a lot with the matrix, if you haven't figured that out yet! I spent days getting estimates from usps.com and then trying amounts in my matrix to see if they would return the cost I needed. I don't use actual weights, though, and that took more fiddling to get it the way I wanted it.

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Lastly, a bit of clarification based on Maggiethecat's Q. For the shipping "options" to kick in, would that entail ME choosing a given shipping method per given item? For example:

If I have an item that goes past the 4 lb limit, can I set those up to be US only, and have this given item offered at a flat rate, with international buyers being prohibited from making a purchase?

OR, is offering International an all or nothing, based upon the countries you choose to add?

As far as I know, it's all or nothing. I have some heavy 4+ pound items that took me extra calculating to collect enough to cover sending them overseas by Priority Int'l. I had to put large amounts in the 16+ column at the far right and use large synthetic "weights" in the listings but it finally worked.

Am still very confused, I'm trying to figure out why I have to use 1 Lb. as my base when I want to send out a 5 oz. item (there's a vast difference between price of these two weights, and why should my customer have to pay it).
I've tried many different ways, but it always comes back to not allowing me to go any further on my ad, if I don't fill in the #'s in those boxes, or as now sits, all my ads have calculated prices, which don't always agree with my price I put in ad. Somebody, please help!!!!!

Am still very confused, I'm trying to figure out why I have to use 1 Lb. as my base when I want to send out a 5 oz. item

You have chosen USPS calculated...and selected Priority Mail, Parcel Post, and Media Mail. Each of those is based on 1 lb increments. If you are mailing a package that weighs 5 oz, you can use First Class Mail. Have you read the USPS website to familiarize yourself with the different classes of service?

lillysloft wrote:

all my ads have calculated prices

B/c you chose USPS Calculated Shipping.

lillysloft wrote:

which don't always agree with my price I put in ad.

The price you put in your ad copy is not the price your customer will be charged. Your customer will be charged based on USPS Calculated Shipping at whatever rate the customer chooses.

It would really be a good idea to spend some time reading the store setup tutorials and figuring out what you want to do with your store.

As far as shipping, you are selling action figures and video games. Neither of those qualifies for Media Mail. Most, if not all, are light enough to not require Parcel Post. So that leaves Priority Mail and First Class Mail. If you have set prices you want to charge for shipping your items, as you have indicated in your listings, then you don't need USPS Calculated. You can use Fixed Shipping.

It would be a good idea to do some work on your listings, as well, to make them more customer-friendly and also comply with eCrater Terms, which they currently do not. Your ad copy sometimes doesn't say what the product is, you have shipping rates listed that conflict with the calculated shipping, and you have payment options listed, which are already covered in the payment information on the page, incl Cash on Delivery, which you probably don't want to offer. The only copy in the listing should be about the product...everything else needs to go in Terms, FAQ, and About Us. You also don't have a store logo, image, or any text pages.

Let's start there, I thought I had made it clear that I knew I had calculated price, even though I don't want them, I didn't choose them, they seemed to choose me, as stated, if I tried something else, the program won't let me go any further, massages kept popping up that I had to put a whole # into the spot I tried to leave empty. 2ndly, I tried reading the store setup tutorials, and most of them were incomplete (only 1 page long) and they were the ones I found on the site. As far as store Logo, or other information, I would like to get this straighten out before trying something like that.

Let's start there, I thought I had made it clear that I knew I had calculated price, even though I don't want them, I didn't choose them, they seemed to choose me, as stated, if I tried something else, the program won't let me go any further, massages kept popping up that I had to put a whole # into the spot I tried to leave empty. 2ndly, I tried reading the store setup tutorials, and most of them were incomplete (only 1 page long) and they were the ones I found on the site. As far as store Logo, or other information, I would like to get this straighten out before trying something like that.

if you want to put a number like a 1/4 pound in your listing, you must put it as 0.25

to turn off calculated shipping - in your admin control, click options. then scroll down and uncheck the box that says use usps calculated shipping.

if you would like help with store logos, please feel free to pm me, i would be happy to help. free of charge i might add. i truly only wish to help.

i am not an "old timer" here, but i think i may be able to help "some" people.

I don't use calculated and have no idea on how to set it up. I use the matrix and from seeing what you have to sell it would probably be the best for your store. While you are trying to figure it out, I would suggest putting your store on hold till you get your shipping set up correctly. One of the advantages of the matrix with your types of things is it is easy to also set up up international shipping rates, therefore no need for them to check with you first.

I would suggest you take some time to study up on the matrix. It may seem weird at first and then the lightbulb goes off and it makes perfect sense. On the matrix you have something like 16 columns. Many think that they have to have each column equal a pound but that is not so. Each column can represent anything you want with increasing shipping costs on each columns. I use the matrix to indicate how many items the person buys and the shipping it would cost on average. I don't ever try to hit the exact postage, just the average. So on my matrix column one is the shipping for 1 pattern, column 2 is the shipping for 2 patterns, etc. Others use the columns to indicate ounces or whatever they want. There are MANY posts about using the matrix and other shipping options and you might want to take the time to search them out so you understand what you are doing.

Do you have a minimum shipping charge? If so that should be in the #1 spot.

That minimum charge should include actual shipping plus insurance if you need it, delivery confirmation if you don't print it online, and packaging supplies such as padded envelopes, boxes, and bubble wrap.

Perhaps weightwise you can pack 2 or 3 of your items for that minimum shipping charge. If you enter the correct weight (don't guess) of an item with its packaging, the system will combine items when buyers buy more than one.

Unless your items are all under 13 ounces, do not try to have a matrix category for each ounce increase or you will go crazy.

I was just given the link to this thread hopefully to answer some of the questions I've been having setting up this far too confusing system. It seems every change I make to improve leads to even more questions. It reminds me why I haven't bothered for so long.

Currently I am struggling with allowing free shipping to US only in conjunction with the matrix. This will only be offered on certain listings and not every listing. The way the listings and the shipping matrix is set up, it would seem you have to consider all your listings and each is not treated separately. Therefore, how would one have a single listing with free US shipping and still use the matrix? Or if you switched off the matrix for that single listing, how would you then offer international shipping (not including Canada as this would be fixed)?

The way I had it before, US was fixed price, with all other areas (Canada included) went to usps calculated. That's fine and all, but the fixed portion didn't allow for multiple item orders. Unlike many of you, we do not sell many very lightweight items, with most of our items being slightly under a pound ranging up to 30 pounds plus. Perhaps the matrix is not best for that situation? However, I do see a large hole created with having to invoice in order to create a multiple item order.

I have worked with the matrix to develop an elaborate breakdown for each country, starting at just under 13 ounces going to a pound to cover the first two columns, and then a pound up from there until a certain size is reached, at which it jumps to larger increments. That has seemed to work ok in theory, but having learned the system will wipe out any fixed prices once you activate the matrix, i've had to go back and copy down all the prices. There's another two days. Now that's done, I'm at the hurdle of the free shipping barrier, and i can't at this moment see a way over it.